Need Help Determining if I am Ready for a Masters Group

Hello! I am trying to figure out if I am ready for a masters group, or whether I need to take a "refresher course" first. About me: I swam competetively for a club for about 4 years between the ages of 8 and 12. Stopped at 12 to concentrate more on gymnastics (which I did competetively through high school). Dropped swimming because I was simply burned out. (I think it was a little much for me at that age-- I had a pushy coach.) Consequently, I have no college or even HS swimming experience, which I do regret. Anyway, I did continue swimming occasionally, and never forgot the strokes or how to do flip turns, etc. About 10 years ago, I started running and doing triathlons. I've trained with a couple of tri groups during that time, and I was always best at swimming. (This was also my favorite of the three sports to train for.) My training group has just about concluded for the summer, and I have decided that I'm going to concentrate on just swimming for a while, because I just love it so much. At some point I would like to enter meets again and compete. The problem is, I can't decide whether to enroll in a "Pre-masters" swimming class (offered by the same group), or to go straight to masters. Here is the description for the "Pre-masters" class: Pre-masters swimming class will introduce the concepts of masters swimming to who are not quite ready for a masters program and who are too experienced for swimming 101. 6 week training class that meets 2 times a week on Monday & Thursday evenings. Focus: Pre Req Swim 101, been in Iron chicks or Cap Tex program, comfortable swimming for continously for 15 minutes. (speed not important) Stroke Work & Review 101 Drills Learn intervals & clock work Incorporate other strokes & flip turns Incorporate swim sets with equipment master swim practice without intimidationThe cost is $130, and they meet in an outdoor pool (length is 33 yards, I believe). In the alternative, I could forego the cost of the "premasters" class and sign up immediately for masters. I had intended to do Longhorn Masters, as it is closest to my house, but I'm worried about whether I can keep up with the workout. From Ande's swimming blog, I can see that the workouts are pretty tough, and I wonder if I'm ready for this type of class when I ordinarily swim only 1500 meters per class. (That being said, I know I could do much, much more than 1500 meters; that's just what we usually swam during our swim workouts in my last tri training group.) Of note, I did an 800 meter open water lake swim in about 12:30 last week; don't know if this would be considered "fast" or not. So, what should I do? Would I be wasting my time and money with the Pre-masters class, or am I "in over my head" (sorry for the pun) with masters? Thanks in advance for your advice and comments! :fish2: